Learning to Fly
by Moment For Life
Summary: Snapshots of Jack and Rose's life after the Titanic. Some may follow on and some may not. I will add to this when I feel the urge to write something which I think would take place after Titanic during their time in Santa Monica.
1. A Beautiful Awakening

**Hello!**

**I am back with something new-ish. I don't intend to make it long at all. These will just be little moments from the Summer of 1912 as I imagined Jack and Rose's life would have been as they landed in Santa Monica.**

**Some maybe short, some maybe long.**

**I hope you enjoy; it will be mainly for the romantics. :)**

**A Beautiful Awakening**

''_I got everything I need right here with me.'' _

''_Your portfolio and your paper. You are an artist, Jack.''_

''_I have everything I need right here.''_

_He encircled her small waist in his arms. She had grown more slender, he had noticed. Her face softened, the worry easing. ''I need nothing more than I need you.'' He whispered in her ear and she fell against him._

**Spring 1912 **

Rose Dawson's eyes flickered open and the smell of seaweed washed over her. She felt warmth at her side. A hand which held her. As she moved, he too stirred. She wasn't cold. She glanced upwards at the wood panelling above her head. She blinked again and turned her head to the left. Then her eyes found his. _Her Jack. _They filled her world. Wordlessly, he leant over and kissed her just once. The grogginess of just waking up instantly disappeared. She felt her heart beat, the way he touched her face and the feeling in her stomach which it caused. She sighed sweetly. It was the beginning of a beautiful day.

''Good morning, darling.'' He laid back down on the sand. He rearranged his backpack to use as a pillow and signaled for her to lay on his chest just as they always did. This was the way they had spent their first few weeks of courtship. Simply huddling beneath a blanket, she with her head on his chest and he would stroke her hair as they spoke of their childhoods in turn.

''It is a beautiful morning.''

She glanced down beyond their toes to find the sea lapping up against the shore. The tide was in but not dangerously so. It was humid but not stuffy.

She rubbed her cheek against his shirt. The feel of it caused her to smile.

''Welcome to our new home.'' He kissed her hair lightly. ''Sleeping under the pier isn't so bad.'' He laughed quietly.

Rose glanced upwards. The decks of the pier directly above them. It was early she guessed as the sun had just rose. No footsteps had wandered over the pier just yet meaning she would have time to change into some more clothes without breaking the law.

''I love it. I couldn't imagine a better place to wake up than here, with you.'' She laid back down on his chest.

''Next time, we will see the sun set and the sun rise. But there is plenty of time for that, we are here for a lifetime.''

His words caused her stomach to flutter. She said nothing back for she had nothing to say. This was what dreams were made of. She could have never envisioned her life to be like this. She had fifteen dollars in her pocket and Jack a little more. They had saved some small change and headed out West just days before.

Her life had been so heavily planned for every moment leading up to meeting Jack Dawson. Now she wasn't going to allow anything in her life to be planned anymore. She would act on impulse if that felt right in her heart. She had to follow herself rather than every other person in her life. If she wound up hurt, she would deal with the consequences later.

She was learning to fly.


	2. Wild Ones

''_Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.''_

- Al Franken.

* * *

><p><strong>Wild Ones<strong>

They had followed the beach from one end of town to the other. Their legs hurt, their stomachs ached. But they were happy.

He held her hand, so tightly, as though he could never let go. His shirt was unbuttoned, flapping as they ran along in the warm breeze of the night. They were alone. It was well after midnight. They tried to silence their giggles but they found it difficult to. Her cheeks were red and flushed, her skirts billowed as she ran. The look of joy on her face was enough to make Jack the happiest man in the world. Every few feet he would stop to touch her face, to check as though she was really his. But she was.

Sand covered their shoes and the dust kicked up as they walked. A series of rocks came into view and Jack realised they had reached the end. He sighed, not wanting the night to end. They would have to find somewhere to sleep soon, someplace safe.

Jack scrambled over the rock. It was only knee high to him but he knew Rose would struggle more. He held out his hand to her as she hitched up her skirts. With one swift motion, she was over the rocks. Jack lost his balance and they stumbled backwards onto a grassy patch. Their giggles pierced the quiet air and Jack placed his hand over Rose's mouth to shush her. Her dress wrapped itself around her legs. She stretched her arms out feeling the coolness of the grass on her arms and between her fingers. Jack kissed her neck as he trailed his way down to her chest. She closed her eyes focusing on the coolness and then the shivers which Jack caused. She ran her fingers through his hair. When she opened her eyes, she could see the clear sky above. The millions of stars which twinkled endlessly. She sighed with such contentment that Jack stopped kissing her.

''Are you all right?''

He came to lay beside her.

''Yes of course.'' She propped herself up on Jack's chest. ''I just enjoy looking at the stars.''

He too watched the endless beauty of the sky. Although they couldn't keep his attention for long, every few seconds he would glance down at Rose. Just to see her contentment. He relished the fact that she was happy. He felt the warmth in his stomach, the smile which couldn't help but creep onto his face without him even knowing.

''They are so clear tonight.''

''It is a warm night.'' Jack whispered. Rose had her hands up Jack's bare chest. This time he closed his eyes, feeling the tickle. ''But not sticky hot, it will be perfect to sleep with a breeze over our bodies.''

Rose lifted herself onto her left elbow as she hovered over Jack. Her hair tickled his face and she flicked it away as she leant forward to kiss him just once. ''Shall we sleep here tonight?''

Jack shook his head. ''No, sweetie. This is too open.''

He diverted his attention from her for a second. She was close to him. So damn close he could kiss her until they forgot how to breathe.

Rose got to her feet, hesitantly. She dusted the grass from her skirt and watched as Jack also stood and fastened the buttons on his shirt. He ran a quick hand through his hair to neaten it out before he held out his hand to her. It slipped into his so perfectly as they silently continued their way through the unfamiliar neighbourhood. The houses were set far back away from the road along the line of the beach. Jack's mind wondered to the not so distant future. He wanted to find a home for he and Rose. He wanted some sort of stability for her despite their passion for travel. He had so many plans in his head if money would allow such things.

They were miles away from their usual sleeping place. Jack knew Rose would be too tired to walk the whole way back. Her body sagged already. He placed his arm around her waist to provide more stability for her.

The houses seem to cease by the end of a road and a large dirt track loomed. A vehicle sat on the end. Jack let go of Rose's hand and went to investigate. She followed closely behind, curious. She tucked a curl behind her ear as she watched him run to the drivers side. He ran his hand over the smoothness of the door. He clicked the door to find it opened. He glanced around. They were in complete darkness. The car must have been left here for some time, he decided. Rose climbed in the passenger side. She giggled having never sat in the front of a vehicle before. She tucked her skirts in before closing the door.

''Have you driven before?'' She whispered, fearing her voice would travel across the night.

He found her eyes in the dark. ''Yes. Once or twice.''

She giggled. ''Should I trust you?''

''Of course!''

His eyes glinted with mischief in the darkness. Butterflies swirled around her stomach. She knew this was stealing but neither of them had thought of the consequences. He started the car with such ease and with a quick glance around he drove them further down the dirt path. It was pitch black for a moment.

''Do you not need the lights on?''

Jack fiddled with the buttons in the darkness and seconds later the cars lights flashed on. She laughed at his fumble.

''Thank you for that.'' He grabbed her hand as he slowly drove down the dirt track. The trees surrounded them dipping over up and ahead as though it was creating an archway for them. She linked her fingers around his. Her left hand in his right. For a second he could barely concentrate on driving, the way she tickled his fingers with her nail was enough for him to loose his concentration. He stopped the car for a second.

''You should try this.'' He urged her.

''No!''

''Why not. Come on.''

He looked at the drivers seat. Nerves came over her. ''I never thought I could drive a car.''

Jack shook his head. ''You can do anything you want to.''

In just those few words she found some sort of strength to cling to. She lifted up her skirts around her knees and reached out to hold onto the seat. Jack grabbed her hips to shuffle her across his lap and move himself into the passenger seat. Her head almost touched the roof. He placed his hand on the back of her hair so that she didn't bang her head as she moved. Seconds later she wound up straddling him. She giggled so hard she could barely move. Jack pushed her with one swift motion and she was in the drivers seat.

She clammed up for a second. She wasn't used to this.

''Don't worry. Just start the engine.'' Jack told her gently.

Shakily, she started the vehicle. She could feel the steering wheel vibrate as she did.

''Oh God, Jack.''

''Now just slowly steer your way down the path.''

She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breathe. Slowly, she steered them slowly. They literally crawled for a moment until the vehicle jolted and within seconds was dipped to the right.

''Shit!'' She cursed. The right wheel had fell into a ditch.

Jack laughed. ''Its all right. You did really good.''

''I did not!'' She went to reach for the door but Jack stopped her. He took her left hand in his and pulled her to him with such force that she wound up on his lap. She took a sharp intake of breathe, shocked from the moment and nervous at been so close to him.

''Never speak ill of yourself, Rose.'' He whispered to her as he stroked her cheek. She found his gaze in the darkness. The seriousness fell over his face. He ran his hand through her hair to move it from their faces. She moved her legs over his lap so that they knelt each side of him so that it pushed her body closer to his. She entwined their fingers and he squeezed her hand. She ran a finger up his arm with her right hand and up to his face. She felt the few days worth of stubble. She didn't mind it. She diverted her eyes for a second, their stare too intense for her. At times like this she wondered how they had lasted so long without making love. It had been three months and while she didn't regret their one beautiful night together, they had both not spoken of it since.

Then at these times, she knew it would soon be inevitable. The chemistry between them was too much and they couldn't fight it for much longer. She sighed, she felt dizzy. He leant forward and kissed her cheek.

''Are you all right?''

She nodded against his chest. ''I keep feeling this…thing.'' She laughed but to herself. The intense feelings swamping her.

Jack placed his hand on her face. Her forehead rested against his. He fought with his own feelings for a moment. The way which they had been thrown together had been in the most horrendous way but he didn't want that to affect their future. He had never wanted to be with her because their only connection was the sinking. He had wanted her to be his before that.

''I keep falling in love with you.'' He whispered to her. ''I want you to have this life which you deserve. I worry that isn't enough sometimes.''

She pulled away from him to see the vulnerability on his face. The words which he had kept inside for weeks, he hadn't wanted to spoil their happiness. She struggled to contain anything inside herself anymore. The feelings which had been bubbling up beneath the surface for weeks. She had said 'I love you' once before as in that moment, she believed that they would die.

''I love you, Jack.'' She felt tears forming in the corner of her eye. ''I have never been so happy. I want to live my life with you. Out here.''

That was all he needed to hear. He cradled her so close and tightly to his body with such emotion he feared he would burst.

''Come, we need to find somewhere to sleep tonight.''


End file.
